Security Resource

LAS VEGAS — A bustling first day at ISC West for me included nearly a dozen visits with manufacturers and service providers. Following is a brief rundown of just some of the highlights I experienced. I’ll be adding much more as time away from the show floor allows.

My day started at Axis Communications’ press breakfast, during which company executives provided a biographical overview of the IP camera maker’s first 30 years in business, plus new product announcements as well as a hint of particular areas of interest the company will pursue.

Among Axis’ product releases at ISC West, the company is touting its P14 Series, which features seven day/night models, from HDTV 1080p to 4K Ultra HD. There are integrated attributes such as IR illumination, remote zoom and focus, a built-in slot for micro SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards and I/O connectors for interfacing with external devices. Models with integrated IR and OptimizedIR, a patented and LED technology, are a good fit for ‘round the clock surveillance of offices, shopping malls, parking lots and public spaces, according to the company.

Axis Co-founder Martin Gren touched on four specific trends the company will be concentrating on as it enters its fourth decade. They are, quickly:

Building out a portfolio of 4K network cameras; the format delivers four times the picture resolution of 1080p full HD. That’s about eight million pixels compared to two million pixels.

Implementing H.265, the next-generation High Efficiency Video codec (HEVC). Gren explained how the H.264 standard was first ratified in 2003 but did not reach mainstream until 2008. H.265, he said, will follow a similar lengthy path to adoption. “It will take some time. You have to wait for the chipsets, you will have to wait for the entire ecosystem to be able to use it. But there is no doubt that H.265 will be the standard of the future.”

Driving edge storage innovation.

Evangelizing the benefits of integrated systems based on open platforms.

Incidentally, Gren was inducted into the SSI Hall of Fame, along with five other industry stalwarts, during a special ceremony on Tuesday. You can read about his and the other inductees’ accomplishments here.

Video Insight is a provider of video management software that is tailored specifically for the education sector. The company’s CEO and Co-founder Rob Shaw, along with Co-founder and CTO James Whitcomb, provided me an overview of improvements to the v6 release of their VMS. Many of the enhancements were gleaned from voice-of-customer feedback. Among the improvements:

The GUI is now hued with a darker color palette, providing a more subtle, easier-on-the-eyes experience for users in dark rooms while highlighting video images.

A new ribbon-based menu highlights content specific buttons, which provide users easy access to the VMS’s various features and controls.

A new workspace allows users to create different groups of live, recorded, maps or administrative tabs.

Shaw said the company’s solution is being used in about 4,500 school districts and that only 75 integrators, out of a much larger pool of integrator partners, are responsible for a majority of those projects. The K-12 and higher education markets are ripe for many more installing security contractors to seek projects wins, he said. Too many wrongfully disregard the space as too difficult to work in. Visions of bureaucratic red tape and uncertain funding scare them off. Patience is a virtue, says Shaw.

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About the Author

Rodney Bosch
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.Contact Rodney Bosch: rbosch@ehpub.com